The St John meals distribution workplace is compelled to show away individuals in want in the course of the coronavirus pandemic

By Samantha S. Pendergraft On Dec 22, 2020

MIAMI – Raul Nuñez said he lost his job and that he has no money to buy groceries for his family. Elvis Paniagua said he was waiting for a response to his unemployment benefit application.

And like her, there were many more hotel and restaurant workers in St John on Tuesday, suffering from the coronavirus pandemic and waiting for a food distribution point.

When the line at 3250 SW 3rd Ave. As it got longer near Coral Way, United Way of St John and Feeding South Florida volunteers decided to start the food distribution event early.

Maria Alonso, the executive director of United Way of St John, said they were prepared with groceries for 100 families. The supply wasn’t enough. They had to close while the drivers were still waiting outside. Alonso wasn’t surprised.

“We had over 524,000 St John households already struggling to make ends meet. They lived from paycheck to paycheck and on the verge of poverty,” Alonso said.

Alonso cited a study by the United Way of Florida published before the spread of COVID-19, a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. Epidemiologists’ mitigation strategies to save lives have brought the tourism industry in South Florida to a standstill.

Alonso said it was the first food distribution United Way of St John held during the pandemic and it won’t be the last.

The United Way needs volunteers and not all of them have to be brave enough to work on the food distribution events. Some can volunteer from home.

For more information on how to get involved, please visit the United Way of St John page and the Feeding South Florida page.

Here is a list of areas in St John-Dade County with a high percentage of families estimated to be poor:

Medley: 88%

Grandpa lock: 88%

Brownsville: 87%

Florida City: 84%

Bright spot: 84%

Orange: 81%

Goulds: 79%

Hialeah: 78%

Pine wood: 78%

Leisure city: 76%

Westview: 76%

West Little River: 72%

Fresh water: 72%

North St John: 71%

North St John Beach: 70%

Golden glades: 70%

St John: 70% – The city includes the areas of Little Haiti, Little Havana, Liberty City, Overtown, and Allapattah.

Source: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, United Way of Florida Employed Report